“What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.”
Busyness bullies with a false message of fitting in. Most of us have believed the fallacy the world advertises: Achieve, produce, and earn success in order to gain acceptance, love, and ultimate happiness. But the more we fill our lives with yeses, even noble and good ones, who we are slowly drifts into obscurity until all that remains is a shadow of our former self, void of purpose and definition. When we believe there is never enough time to do everything, we become aimless and forget why we are here on the earth. “Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content,” writes the teacher in Ecclesiastes 1:8. Sabbath reminds us that we belong because we are already accepted. Rest requires that we be who we are and nothing else. A life built upon Sabbath is contented because in rhythms of rest we discover our time is full of the holiness of God.
Reflect:
Contemplate Ecclesiastes 1:3–8. In what ways have you sought for meaning, significance, or love through busyness or achievements?
Pray:
Ask God to help you center your identity and your sense of self-worth in him.
While we pray for peace, we need moral clarity about this war.
A Christian reconciliation group in Israel and Palestine warned that war would come. Now the war threatens their relevance.españolالعربيةFrançais
After lobbying from fellow Southern Baptists and Christians affected by the war, the House speaker moves a package forward.
